Jonathan Kay, MessengerGeek

Continuing on the topic of features removed from the “minor” QFE3 update to Messenger, the Save and Import of contacts in Messenger has also disappeared in this latest version.  Special thanks to my commenter mj who pointed this out.

Sure, this feature won’t be missed by many as it has long since been delegated in the hidden menu.  However, it was there when it was needed and as a person who has been supporting Messenger for 9 years, I was glad it was there.

What does/did this feature do?
It saves your contacts to a file or imports them back into Messenger.  It does this by using its own .CTT file format, which is just an XML file readable in any text editor.

In what situations would you need this?

• Moving your contact list from one account to another.  Although you can do this on the server-side if you’re not using a hotmail address (and there’s a chance it won’t work and your contacts will just appear offline), you will no longer be able to move from one Hotmail-based account to another account without either using Hotmail/Windows Live's web-based tool, manually adding your contacts back one-by-one, or just having your contacts add the new address.
• Fixing the above problem where your contacts are show as offline when they’re not.  Although I don’t personally recommend it as a fix for the problem, a few people have managed to use to get their contacts back to normal.
• When you want to have a list of all your contacts for use elsewhere.  For instance, many years ago I wrote an application which changes the .CTT file into the .CSV format (it doesn’t meet my current quality bar to be linked here, but contact me if you need it).  So, you could import your contacts into most e-mail programs and websites, databases and spreadsheets.
• Restoring your contact list after it has disappeared.  I’ve heard many stories of contact lists disappearing, and although some of them have been recoverable in various creative ways, the few that had a .CTT file saved were able to completely restore their list in seconds.

Although there’s a tiny long standing bug with this feature and Messenger where the file save dialog refuses to come up (easily fixed with a registry key change), it has been reliable and in existence since the early MSN Messenger days. 

But on a more positive note, there are other options available to deal with your Windows Live contacts, including exporting to .CSV and importing from other formats/applications.  You can head over http://people.live.com, choose the Manage menu and then Export or Import.  However, since Messenger, Windows Live and Hotmail contacts are all bunched together, using this can be a bit complicated.  More than likely the Messenger export/import feature was removed from Messenger since it exists here, but why this had to removed in what was supposed to be a minor update to Messenger I’m not quite sure.

If seems this latest “update” to Windows Live Messenger 2009 is in fact a downgrade as the entire webcam feature has been removed as well as the emoticon.  UPDATE (5/17/2010): As noted by commenter mj, the "Save/Import instant messaging contacts" feature has been removed.  See the following article for more.

Webcam removal
As I noted back in my analysis of the Windows Live Messenger 2010 video, Messenger for a long time has had two video functions – Webcam and Video Call.  Webcam has some notable features, such as being able to show your webcam to multiple people, not forcing others to transmit audio/video in the session, as well as not having embarrassing connectivity problems with VPNs and multiple network adapters. 

However, in this simple build number increase to Messenger, the webcam feature has completely disappeared.  It is not listed in the top menus and clicking the webcam icon next to a display picture just starts a video call. 

It also seems that the Video and Call locations on the menu have switched.

Not only that, but if someone on a previous build of Windows Live Messenger 2009 attempts to use Webcam with you, they are immediately declined.  You do not receive a notification that they even attempted to contact you via webcam!  Certainly this could cause some issues among close contacts.

 

I’m emoticon
Also taken away in this release is the emoticon intended for the i’m initiative.  This has flooded contact lists since 2007 and is very well used even though the program ended in March of this year.  Take a quick peak at my contact list for example on both versions:

 
That’s 5 of the emoticon in a random sample of 12.

Conclusions
The Inside Windows Live blog stated yesterday, “This is a minor release with a small set of targeted bug fixes and minor changes. Even though most users will not run into the issues we addressed, we felt they were important to fix.”  However, I think that webcam functionality with five years of Messenger versions is somewhat more than a minor change.  I highly suspect that Microsoft was paying licensing for the webcam functionality (assuming it hasn’t changed over the years, it originally came from Logitech) and has decided not to renew, thus producing a need to remove it from the product.  If this is the case, we can probably suspect a forced “upgrade” in the coming months.  It’s bad enough that the feature is gone, but even worse that you aren’t even aware that someone who hasn’t upgraded has just tried to use webcam with you.

Sure, the emoticon certainly shouldn’t stay in its present form if the I’m initiative program has ended, but why not just keep it in until Messenger 2010, or simply change the image so it’s somewhat different?  Certainly it’ll be years before contact lists don’t see it anymore.

The absolute worst aspect of this “update” is the complete lack of communication from Microsoft.  Sure, there’s been features removed from major versions, and forced upgrades without a single notice, but never before has a major feature [webcam] in Messenger been removed in a so-called minor update. 

I, for one, am downgrading back to the previous version.

This article supersedes the Installing/uninstalling Windows Live 2009 (Wave 3) QFE 2 applications and the Windows Live Communications Platform update with the third QFE (Quick Fix Engineering) release versions of the Windows Live “Wave 3” 2009 products.

As per usual, there’s no word yet on what’s included in these updates and doubtful if we’ll ever fully know.  UPDATE (5/13/2010): After a day of usage we do know, the Webcam feature has been removed, as well the i'm emoticon.  If you use either of these features, it is not recommend to upgrade unless you are experiencing other problems with Messenger.

Of note however, is that Windows Live Call and the Windows Live Toolbar has been updated, neither of which has been updated since the original QFE.  Additionally, the included Silverlight install is still the previous 3.0 version and not the recently released 4.0.

Below you will find all Windows Live Suite 2009 “Wave 3” applications, a download link to the Microsoft Installer (MSI) file, what’s also necessary to install each application and instructions on how to properly remove each without the Windows Live installer.  This allows you to install on non-supported Windows versions (Windows XP x64), fix broken Windows Live Installer installs or just to avoid the Live Installer altogether.

Note: A few of the packages come in both 32-bit and 64-bit varieties.  If you’re not sure if you are using a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system, you most likely have a 32-bit operating system and should use the 32-bit packages.  You can verify your operating system type using this article.

Windows Live Messenger
Version 2009: 14.0.8117.416
Download installer – Messenger.msi
You will also need to install: Microsoft Application Error Reporting (32-bit) or Microsoft Application Error Reporting (64-bit), Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime, Windows Live Communications Platform, Segoe UI Font (not necessary on Windows Vista or Windows 7)
Optional secondary components: Windows Live Call and Installer Components (see later section)
To uninstall these secondary components, see Secondary Components below.
To uninstall Windows Live Messenger, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {B57EAFF2-D6EE-4C6C-9175-ED9F17BFC1BC}

You can also uninstall Messenger 2009 (even if the above isn't working) by using my ZapMessenger utility

Windows Live Mail
Version 2009: 14.0.8117.0416
Download Installer – Mail.msi
You will also need to install: Microsoft Application Error Reporting (32-bit) or Microsoft Application Error Reporting (64-bit), Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime, Windows Live Communications Platform, Junk Mail filter update, Segoe UI Font (not necessary on Vista)
Optional secondary components: Installer Components (see later section)
To uninstall these secondary components, see Secondary Components below.
To uninstall Windows Live Mail, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {6412CECE-8172-4BE5-935B-6CECACD2CA87}

Windows Live Toolbar
Version: 14.00.8117.0416
Download Installer – wltinstall.msi
You will also need to install: Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime, Search Enhancement Pack, Microsoft Sync Framework Runtime, Microsoft Sync Framework Services, Segoe UI Font (not necessary on Vista)
Optional secondary components: Installer Components (see later section)
To uninstall these secondary components, see Secondary Components below.
To uninstall Windows Live Toolbar, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {1BD07DF4-FB06-41BA-B896-B2DA59000C96}

Windows Live Photo Gallery
Version 2009: 14.0.8117.416
Download Installer – PhotoLibrary.msi
You will also need to install: Windows Imaging Component (XP only), Windows Imaging Component Hotfix (32-bit) or Windows Imaging Component Hotfix (64-bit), SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (3.1), Microsoft Application Error Reporting (32-bit) or Microsoft Application Error Reporting (64-bit), Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime, Windows Live Communications Platform, Direct3D 9, Windows Live Sync, Segoe UI Font (not necessary on Vista)
Optional secondary components: Installer Components (see later section)
To uninstall these secondary components, see Secondary Components below.
To uninstall Windows Live Photo Gallery, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {EE39FFBD-544E-49E4-A999-6819828EAE91}

Windows Live Movie Maker
Version: 14.0.8117.0416
Note: Movie Maker will only work on Windows Vista or Windows 7.
Download Installer – MovieMaker.msi
You will also need to install: Windows Imaging Component (XP only), Windows Imaging Component Hotfix (32-bit) or Windows Imaging Component Hotfix (64-bit), SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (3.1), Microsoft Application Error Reporting (32-bit) or Microsoft Application Error Reporting (64-bit), Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime, Windows Live Communications Platform, Direct3D 9, Windows Live Sync, Segoe UI Font (not necessary on Vista), Windows Live Photo Gallery
Optional secondary components: Installer Components (see later section)
To uninstall these secondary components, see Secondary Components below.
To uninstall Windows Live Movie Maker, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {9F479685-180E-4C05-9400-D59292A1B29C}

Windows Live Writer
Version: 14.0.8117.416
Download Installer – Writer.msi
You will also need to install: .NET Framework, Segoe UI Font (not necessary on Vista)
Optional secondary components: Installer Components (see later section)
To uninstall these secondary components, see Secondary Components below.
To uninstall Live Writer, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {178832DE-9DE0-4C87-9F82-9315A9B03985}

Windows Live Family Safety
Version: 14.0.8118.0427
Download Installer (32-bit) – fssclient_x86.msi
Download Installer (64-bit) – fssclient_amd64.msi
You will also need to install: Segoe UI Font (not necessary on Vista)
Optional secondary components: Installer Components (see later section)

To uninstall these secondary components, see Secondary Components below.
To uninstall Windows Live Family Safety (32-bit), click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {D92FF8EB-BD77-40AE-B68B-A6BFC6F8661D}
To uninstall Windows Live Family Safety (64-bit), click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {5AC309D7-93D6-418F-8DCA-DD710724A5B4}

Microsoft Silverlight 3.0
Version: 3.0.40624.0
Download Installer – Silverlight.exe
If you don’t already have Silverlight installed or have an earlier version, the normal setup will install this latest version of Silverlight.
You will also need to install: Nothing else
To uninstall Silverlight 3.0, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {89F4137D-6C26-4A84-BDB8-2E5A4BB71E00}

Microsoft Office Live Add-in 1.3
Version: 2.0.2313.0
Download Installer – OLConnector.msi
This is only offered to you in the normal setup if you have Office installed.
Adds Office Live Workspace functionality into the Office applications’ Open and Save functions. 
You will also need to install: Microsoft Office
To uninstall Office Live Add-In 1.3, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {57F0ED40-8F11-41AA-B926-4A66D0D1A9CC}

Microsoft Office Outlook Connector
Version: 12.0.6423.1000
Download Installer – olc.msi
This is only offered to you in the normal setup if you have Outlook installed. 
You will also need to install: Microsoft Office Outlook
To uninstall Office Outlook Connector, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {95120000-0122-0409-0000-0000000FF1CE}

Installer Components
These components would normally be automatically installed no matter what product you selected.  Some provide some degree of value (like the Login Assistant) whereas others aren’t too useful if you are doing a manual install.  Naturally, if you are a doing a manual uninstall, you should remove all of these.  Additionally, no matter what selection you choose in the normal setup, your Windows Update within Windows will be registered with Microsoft Update.

Choice Guard
Download Installer – choiceguard.msi
Sets your user homepage and default search engine during setup (if you opt-in); this one is safe to remove
To uninstall Choice Guard, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {F0E12BBA-AD66-4022-A453-A1C8A0C4D570}

Windows Live Sign-in Assistant
Download Installer – wllogin.msi
Allows Windows Live web pages to synchronize with your client-side Live logins (like in Messenger); previous builds have been known to cause Internet Explorer to crash on exit and you may want to remove this if this is a problem for you
To uninstall Windows Live Sign-in Assistant, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {45338B07-A236-4270-9A77-EBB4115517B5}

Windows Live Upload Tool
Download Installer – RichUpload.msi
The ActiveX control to upload files to your Windows Live SkyDrive.
To uninstall the Windows Live Upload Tool, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {205C6BDD-7B73-42DE-8505-9A093F35A238}

Windows Live Essentials Installer
Download Installer – WLXSuite.msi
The installer setup and UI for the Windows Live Installer
To uninstall Windows Live Installer, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {474F25F5-BDC9-40E5-B1B6-F6BF23FC106F}

Segoe UI Font
Download Installer – SegoeFont.msi
Automatically installed normally if you don’t have the Segoe UI font already (included in Office 2007 and Windows Vista by default).  This component has not changed since the earlier beta version.
To uninstall the Segoe UI Font, click Start, then Run, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {A1F66FC9-11EE-4F2F-98C9-16F8D1E69FB7}

Secondary Components
As mentioned earlier, the majority of these applications now utilize shared additional components to work.  Here is a listing of each component, a download link, and how to uninstall each.  Be aware that some of these components are not limited to Windows Live products and removing them may affect other applications.

Microsoft Application Error Reporting
Download Installer (32-bit) – dw20shared.msi
Download Installer (64-bit) – dw20sharedamd64.msi
Installs Doctor Watson 2.0 application error reporting.  This component was known as DW 2.0 Client in the beta version and has not changed.
To uninstall Microsoft Application Error Reporting (32-bit), click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {95120000-00B9-0409-0000-0000000FF1CE}
To uninstall Microsoft Application Error Reporting (64-bit), click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {95120000-00B9-0409-1000-0000000FF1CE}

Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime
Download Installer – crt.msi
Provides the runtime files required for software created with the latest Visual Studio, such as these Windows Live applications.
To uninstall Microsoft Visual Studio Runtime, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {22B775E7-6C42-4FC5-8E10-9A5E3257BD94}

Direct3D 9
Download Installer – directx3d9setup.exe
Provides the latest version of Direct3D 9 for Photo Gallery/Movie Maker.

Windows Live Communications Platform
Download Installer – Contacts.msi
Windows Live Communications Platform required for Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker to access your Live Contacts.
To uninstall Windows Live Communications Platform, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {3175E049-F9A9-4A3D-8F19-AC9FB04514D1}

Windows Live Call
Download Installer – wlc.msi
Optional component, originally in the previous Messenger release, Live Call provides “PC to Phone” functionality using regional third-party providers.
To uninstall Windows Live Call, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {E6158D07-2637-4ECF-B576-37C489669174}

Windows Live Sync/Microsoft Sync Framework Runtime/Microsoft Sync Framework Services
Download Installer Windows Live Sync – WindowsLiveSync.msi
Download Installer Sync Framework Runtime – SyncNative.msi
Download Installer Sync Framework Services – ProviderServicesNative.msi
The necessary runtime files for Live Sync for the various applications.  In Photo Gallery, Live Sync is used to sync your photo gallery across multiple machines (see File menu, Setup gallery sync…).  In the Toolbar, Live Sync is used to automatically sync your browser favorites across multiple machines.
To uninstall Windows Live Sync, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {B10914FD-8812-47A4-85A1-50FCDE7F1F33}
To uninstall Microsoft Sync Framework Runtime, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {8A74E887-8F0F-4017-AF53-CBA42211AAA5}
To uninstall Microsoft Sync Framework Services, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {BD64AF4A-8C80-4152-AD77-FCDDF05208AB}

Search Enhancement Pack
Download Installer - MicrosoftSearchEnhancementPack.msi
Extensions for the Live Toolbar’s Search Bar
To uninstall the Search Enhancement Pack, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {9C9CEB9D-53FD-49A7-85D2-FE674F72F24E}

Junk Mail filter update
Download Installer - SpamFilterData.msi
The latest Junk Mail filter for filtering spam in Windows Live Mail.
To uninstall Junk Mail filter update, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {8E5233E1-7495-44FB-8DEB-4BE906D59619}

Windows Imaging Component (XP only)
Download XP Installer (32-bit) – wic_x86_enu.exe
Download XP Installer (64-bit) – wic_x64_enu.exe
The Windows Imaging Component (WIC) provides WIC-enabled applications to display and edit any image format for which a WIC-compliant codec is installed, and also to read and write metadata in image files.  In this case, Photo Gallery.

Windows Imaging Component Hotfix
Download XP Installer (32-bit) – WindowsXP-KB954708-x86-ENU.exe
Download Vista Installer (32-bit) – Windows6.0-KB954708-x86.msu
Download Vista Installer (64-bit) – Windows6.0-KB954708-x64.msu
Adds support for XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) to Windows Imaging; see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954708 for more info.  This component has not changed since the beta release.
To uninstall the Windows Imaging Component Hotfix, visit Add or Remove Programs (XP) or Programs and Features (Vista) in the Control Panel, choose the option to show updates, then right-click and remove the update appended by KB954708.  Alternatively, execute pkgmgr /up:Package_for_KB954708~31bf3856ad364e35~x86~~6.0.1.0 (32-bit) or pkgmgr /up:Package_for_KB954708~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0 (64-bit).

SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition
Download Installer - SQLServerCE31-EN.msi
Backend database for Photo Gallery & Movie Maker.  This component has not changed since the beta release.
To uninstall SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition, click Start, then Run if using XP, then type/paste the following and press Enter:
msiexec /x {F0B430D1-B6AA-473D-9B06-AA3DD01FD0B8}

Yesterday, we got the first official preview videos of the Wave 4 Messenger client.  The first video is a quick, amusing walkthrough of some of the new features, so take a look if you haven’t seen it yet.  The second was part of Ballmer’s presentation in Sao Paolo; the Messenger demo starts at ~23:05.

The great thing about video is that you can look through the menus as they use the product.  Note that I’m just making educated guesses at this point, but I’d be willing to bet most of the functionality I mention here has been given the snip.

1.  Webcam
Messenger has long since had two real-time video functions, Webcam and Video Call, and it appears Webcam no longer exists unless it has been delegated into the hidden menu (unlikely). 

For those unfamiliar, Webcam has its own set of functionality that Video Call does not have, including the ability to show your webcam to multiple people which allowed for multi-person video sharing, something popular Skype doesn’t even have (although if you wanted multi-person audio, you’d still have to use another product).  One of the great uses of Webcam is to quickly show something to another person without forcing them to transmit their own audio/video, thereby saving time, bandwidth costs, and having to check that your hair is still in place. 

Both Webcam and Video Call have had their own individual issues, but I really hope the issues surrounding Video Call, VPNs, and multiple network adapters has been addressed.  In these scenarios, Video Call refuses to work and you won’t even get a notification of any attempts to video call you.

Earlier this year I did a small experiment involving setting up an automated chat bot with webcam support on Messenger and letting it lose on a random public web chat to talk to people.  Of 108 requests, all were webcam requests except for two users who attempted a video call.  As it’s unlikely that people will immediately upgrade, I do hope backwards compatibility has or will be  implemented for that.

2.  Drawing/digital ink
I always rather liked the drawing function in Messenger, as you can do make a quick diagram to prove a point, especially if you’re using a tablet or touch-screen which has become increasingly more mainstream.  Although it was plagued by a major issue in past versions where it would stop you from sending messages, in Messenger 2008 it works quite well and reliably.  What’s even better is that it’s been ported to multiple platforms and third-party software, such as the Nintendo DS or Trillian and the necessary tablet support has been built-in to Windows for quite awhile.

However it seems to be missing from the interface in all videos and screenshots of 2010, thus I can only summarize that it’s been cut out of the product.  Unlike Webcam, which at least still has its core functionality retained in Video Call, there is no replacement for Drawing so you’re left to draw in an image editor and paste them over.  It’s a real shame considering Messenger has had this functionality back to the days of Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger with Netmeeting’s Whiteboard.

3.  Backgrounds
I’ve scoured through what content is available, and although there is a minute possibility that backgrounds are still there, I’m going to presume that they’ve also been removed.  As of Messenger 2008, backgrounds seemed to had just been barely left in as they didn’t even fill the entire window, customizations didn’t carry over from the previous version and background sharing with contacts had disappeared.  Scenes are the replacement to backgrounds it seems, and for the most part is a reasonable compromise.

Message History?
I’m going to guess it’s still there, although in 2008 it has a prominent position at the of the top of the conversation window which has disappeared.  We’ll have to wait for more information to be sure, but I suspect if it’s not gone, it will be in the version after 2010 (or replaced with something else).

File transfer?
It’s been delegated under the Share menu as shown here:

Conclusions
As actual builds of the release demoed aren’t yet available externally, some of these features may reappear.  However, the possibility of this happening is extremely low as it’s rare for feature’s to make a come back.  Although there’s a whole list of new features that have been added, I’m a bit saddened that already working unique functionality to Messenger seems to have presumably been tossed aside. 

The real problem with removing features in Messenger is as people upgrade (or are forced to upgrade), the feature’s stop working as their version no longer supports it – even though you’ve continued to stay on the existing version.  So given time, the feature is simply gone, regardless if your client supports it or not.

More on other interesting things in the video in the coming days.

UPDATE (March 23/2010 2:42 PM GMT-4): It does appear that the servers are slowly returning to normal.  Although not fully fixed for everyone, gradually contacts are showing up online again.

For the past six hours or so, the Messenger servers have been showing the majority of contacts offline.  You can however still talk to contacts using offline message.  There were other similar issues earlier on in the day and the problem just seems to have progressively gotten worse.

This isn’t a new problem either.  Messenger has continually had these problems on and off for several months now. 

If you use the Messenger web-based client within Hotmail, or clients which use the older protocol versions (like Windows Messenger on XP), you may get slightly better results, however for the most part there isn’t a lot you can do about it except wait for it to be corrected.

With the recent final forced upgrade to Windows Live Messenger 2009 from Windows Live Messenger 8.5 came an updated version of the Windows Live Communications Platform which hadn’t seen a change since February (the original QFE release).

The existing version of the Windows Live Communications Platform contained a bug wherein in some cases, the contact list would appear empty within the various Windows Live applications (most obvious in Messenger and Mail).  This bug appears to have been corrected in this release and presumably the forced upgrade was delayed for 8.5 until this fix was ready.

As this is a small update to the existing QFE 2 suite, I’ve elected to simply update the QFE 2 entry with this small update. 

Upgrading from the existing Windows Live Communications Platform version
As the only changed component is the Windows Live Communications Platform, the latest Windows Live Installer will not allow you to install this update if you already have all the applications which use this component installed.  To avoid having to uninstall and reinstall the Windows Live applications, you can upgrade by following these quick steps:

1. Shut down down any main Windows Live applications such as Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Photo Gallery and/or Windows Live Movie Maker (this is not a critical step, the installer will prompt you to shut down anything using the Communications Platform).
2. Download and run the new Windows Live Communications Platform installer file (Contacts.msi).
3. After the Windows Installer completes the upgrade and then disappears without any error messages, you can restart any Windows Live products.

Technical Details
Installer package – Contacts.msi
Signed by Microsoft Corporation – Thursday, October 01, 2009 03:00:37 (UTC)
Version: 14.0.8098.0930 (previous version was 14.0.8064.0206)

Files updated (check your version/files in your Program Files’ Windows Live\Contacts folder):

File name	File version	File size	Date (UTC)	Time (UTC)
abssm.dll	14.0.8098.930	531,808	30-Sept-2009	07:58
conproxy.dll	14.0.8098.930	58,720	30-Sept-2009	07:58
consync.dll	14.0.8098.930	128,352	30-Sept-2009	07:58
contact.dll	14.0.8098.930	645,984	30-Sept-2009	07:58
lmcdata.dll	14.0.8098.930	580,448	30-Sept-2009	07:58
wlcomm.exe	14.0.8098.930	26,464	30-Sept-2009	07:58
wldlog.dll	14.0.8098.930	31,584	30-Sept-2009	07:58

There’s been Messenger server problems today, causing instant messages not to be delivered to contacts and possibly issues with signing in. 

This is most likely due to changes being made for tomorrow’s (Sept. 15th) forced upgrade to Windows Live Messenger 2009.   I would expect it to be resolved by tomorrow.

If you’re not aware of the forced upgrade, as of tomorrow if you’re using Windows Live Messenger 8.x, you will be forced to update to the 2009 version to sign in to Messenger.  This is due to a security issue found in the Microsoft’s ATL library, which is only fixed in the latest version of Messenger.  The MessengerSays blog has the full announcement.  As well, this forced upgrade has already been shaky, with workarounds required for some versions of Windows which aren’t officially “supported”.  You can upgrade Messenger at the Windows Live download site, or install the MSI files yourself here on my blog.

It really would be preferred if a version of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 (2008) was made available with the ATL security fix.  2009 is hardly a bug-free release, and downgrading has been a legitimate “fix” for everything from missing contacts to performance problems.  Sadly, I doubt this will happen for the typical time, resources, and money problems.